From the archive, 17 March 1978: Five die in Moro kidnap in Rome

Police threw up road blocks around Rome, put anti-terrorist squads on full alert at all ports, and flew helicopter patrols over central Italy after Mr Aldo Moro, the most influential man in public life and five times a Prime Minister, had been kidnapped yesterday in a precisely planned ambush which left five police dead.

Members of Parliament described the kidnap as an act of civil war. The extremists of the Red Brigades who claimed responsibility for the attack issued a warning that "Moro is only the first." In spite of police vigilance the attackers were thought to have reached the countryside north of Rome and hidden Mr Moro in an underground prison.

Messages from the Red Brigades said that the kidnapping was only the beginning of a campaign to strike at the heart of the state. They demanded that the trial of other members of the group in Turin should be suspended. When the Turin detainees heard about the attack they laughed and sang in their cells. In Parliament, where the Prime Minister, Mr Andreotti was introducing the new government – largely formed by Mr Moro's skill at inter-party negotiation – the Communists declared: "We are at war." The neo-fascists demanded martial law and the return of the death penalty. As a result of the attack the Italian Chamber of Deputies last night rushed through confirmation of the new government of Mr Andreotti.

The kidnapping was a lesson in planning and execution. It was timed to shake the already fragile political balance. The result was widespread fear and tension and a day-long general strike. At 9.15 yesterday morning the President of the Christian Democratic Party, Mr Moro, who is 61, was on his way to Parliament for the swearing-in of the Ministers of the new government—formed after almost two months of crisis. His ministerial car and the police Alfa Romeo with three bodyguards were taking a short cut in a quiet street in the suburb of Monte Mario when his car was blocked by the terrorists in a car stolen from the Venezuelan embassy. The driver and the policeman in the front seat were killed.

Other attackers sprang from behind the hedge on the corner of the street and fired. Only one of the policemen was even able to draw his revolver. It was found with the safety catch still on. Some of the gunmen then disappeared on foot while the others bundled Moro into a waiting car, leaving four dead and one dying policeman; one had been guarding Moro for 13 years.

About this article

From the archive, 17 March 1978: Five die in Moro kidnap in Rome

This article appeared in the Guardian
on Tuesday 16 March 2010.
It was published on
the Guardian website
at 11.53 EDT on Wednesday 17 March 2010.
It was last modified at 03.01 EDT on Tuesday 17 June 2014.
It was first published at 10.53 EDT on Tuesday 22 June 2010.

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